Road forming attachment for motor graders



Sept 17, 1957 ULRICH 2,806,305

ROAD FORMING ATTACHMENT FOR -MOTOR GRADERS Filed March 30, 195 4 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept 17, 1957 v ULRlCH 2,806,305

' ROAD FORMING ATTACHMENT F OR MOTOR GRADERS Filed March so. 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 2 J6 4a QQ 4 2 f V 'IIHHHH" m Sept 17, 1957 -R. M. ULRICH 2,806,305

ROAD FORMING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTOR GRADERS Filed March 30, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States ROAD FORMING ATTACHMENT FOR MOTGR GRADERS Raymond M. Ulrich, Roanoke, Ill., assignor to Ulrich Foundation, Inc., Roanoke, Ill., a corporation of Belaware Application March 30, 1954, Serial No. 419,763

4 Claims. (Cl. 37-108) This invention relates to excavating devices, and more particularly to an excavating device for preparing the sub-grade for a strip of pavement which is to be added to an already existing slab of pavement.

In order to place a strip of pavement adjacent to an existing slab of pavement, it is necessary to first excavate a sub-grade for the new strip of pavement. A convenventional road grader is unable to excavate the sub-grade to final form because it is ill adapted to scrape clean the the additional strip of pavement which has a contour I limited by the contour of the existing pavement and not the adjacent ground surface.

Existing attachments for road graders of this type, however, are constructed to provide an excavation of only a single depth and width. Since specifications for widening roadways, and the like, vary both in the width and depth of the strip of additional pavement, this limitation has restricted use of these attachments. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a device for excavating a sub-grade adjacent to an existing slab of pavement which is provided with means to adjust the depth of the excavation, and also to provide such a device which is provided with means to adjust the width of the excavation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an attachment for a conventional road grader which is adapted to excavate a sub-grade adjacent to an existing slab of pavement and which is provided with means to adjust the depth and width of the excavation.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a device for excavating a sub-grade adjacent to an existing slab of pavement which is adapted to remove a larger portion of the earth attached to the lateral edge of the existing slab than the devices presently known.

Other and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an excavating device constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the excavating device taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the excavating device;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, illustrating the means for adjusting the depth of the excavation; i

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken Figure4;

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the along line 5=-.-5 of excavating device illustrating the means for adjusting the width of the excavation;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 of Figure 1; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of the excavating device taken along line 88 of Figure 6.

As illustrated, the excavating device is shown as an attachment to a road grader which may be either self propelled or drawn by another vehicle. The excavating device may also be constructed as a single unit incorporating means for propelling itself. Figure 1 shows in section the blade 10 of a conventional self propelled road grader. The excavating device has a beam 12 with an I cross section which extends along the lower edge of the blade 10 and serves to attach the excavating device to the road grader. The lower edge of the blade 10 rests against blocks 14 and 16 attached to the beam 12. As illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, brackets 18 and 20 are secured to the blade 10 adjacent to its upper edge and directly over the blocks 14 and 16, and pairs of chains 22 and 24, extend on the opposite sides of the blade 10 between each of the brackets 18 and 20 and the beam 12 to secure the excavating device to the blade 10 of the road grader.

Both ends of the beam 12 are attached to supporting frames 26 and 28 which have cross sections in the form of I beams. As illustrated, supporting frame 28 is to be disposed adjacent to the lateral edge 42 of the existing slab 38 of pavement which is to be extended, and this supporting frame 28 forms an obtuse angle with the front of the blade 10. The supporting frame 26 is attached to the beam 12 parellel to the supporting frame 28, and therefore forms an acute angle with the front of the blade 10. The supporting frame 26 is provided with rollers 30 and 32, and the supporting frame 28 is provided with rollers 34 and 36. The rollers 30, 32, 34 and 36 extend beneath the frames 26 and 28, thus permitting the excavating device to roll upon the surface of the existing slab of pavement 38 and providing horizontal alignment.

A vertical support plate 40 is permanently attached to the vertical edge of the supporting frame 28 which is adapted to roll adjacent to the lateral edge 42 of the existing slab 38. An adjustable vertical cutting element 44 is disposed adjacent to the vertical support plate 40. The cutting element 44 is also in the form of a fiat plate and is provided with a plurality of vertical slots 46, these slots 46 being spaced along both the upper and lower edges of the vertical cutting element 44, as illustrated in the Figures 2, 4 and 5. Threaded bolts 48 secured to the vertical support plate 40 and extend through the slots 46 in the cutting element 44. Nuts 50 threaded on the bolts 48 lock the vertical cutting element 44 to the sup port plate 40. This construction permits the cutting element 44 to be raised or lowered relative to the supporting frame 28, and thus relative to the upper surface of the existing slab of pavement 38.

In addition to the bolts 48 and nuts 50, the depth of the cutting element 44 is controlled by adjustment screws 60 and 62, as illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 4 and 6. These screws 60 and 62 are threaded into blocks 64 which are secured to the surface of the cutting element 44, one adjacent to the leading edge 54 and one adjacent to the trailing edge 55. Plates extend from the adjustment screws 60 and 62 and bear upon the upper surface of the vertical support plate 4t}.

A single vertical roller 52 is mounted to the vertical cutting element 44 near its lower edge and adjacent to trailing edge 55 of the cutting element 44. The leading edge 54 of the cutting element 44 is provided with a wear plate 56 constructed of wear resisting metal attached to the surface thereof confronting the lateral edge 42 of the existing slab of pavement 38. The support plate 40 is provided with a recess 57 adjacent to the leading edge of the cutting element 44, and the wear plate 56 is disposed in the recess 57 and contacts'the lateral edge 42' of the slab 38 for the purpose of removing the earth therefrom. The vertical roller 52 extends through an aperture 58 in the vertical support plate 40, the vertical dimension of the aperture being much larger than the roller 52 to permit vertical positioning of the cutting element 44 throughout its entire range.

A moldboard 68 Witha curved cross section is attached to the cutting element 44 just behind its leading edge 54 and forms an acute angle therewith. 'Asillustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3,6 and 8, the moldboard 68 is constructed. with a plurality of divisable portions, designated 70, .72,

74 and 76 in the drawings. Portion 70 is permanently attached to the cutting element 44, as for example by Weld ing, but the other portions 72, 74 and 76 are removable. As best illustrated in Figure 8, a strip 78 is secured to' the portion 72 of the moldboard 68, and the portion 72 is attached to the portion 70 by nuts 80 threaded on bolts 82 which extend through therportion 70 and the strip 78. In like manner, a strip 84 is permanently attached to portion 74, and portion 74 is attached to portion 72 by removable bolts 86. Also in the same manner, portion 74 is attached to portion 76 by a strip 88 attached to portion 76 and by removable bolts 90.

Portion 70 of the moldboard is given support by a brace 92 which is permanently attached to portion 70 and to the cutting element 44. A second brace 94 is permanently attached to the cutting element 44, but it is removably attached to portion 72 of the moldboard 68 by bolts 96. Portion 74 of the moldboard 68 is supported by braces 98, 100 and 102 which extend between portion 74 and the cutting element 44. All three of the braces 98, 100 and 102 are removable and secured at both ends by bolts 104, 106 and 108, respectively. Portion 76 is provided with a brace 110 which is attached to portion 76 and to brace 102.

Portion 76 differs from the other portions 70, 72 and 74 of the moldboard 68 in two respects. It is provided with a shaper plate 112 which is mounted parallel to the cutting element 44 and extends to the lower edge of the moldboard 68. It defines the width of the excavation. The shaper plate 112 is permanently secured to the portion 76 of the moldboard and a triangular shaped bracket 114 assures the alignment of the shaper plate 112 with the cutting element 44. Also, the portion 76 of the moldboard 68 is provided with a recess 116, illustrated in Figure 3, from the end thereof to the shaper plate 112, this recess 116 extending from the bottom of the moldboard 68 to a distance slightly greater than the maximum depth that the device is to excavate.

The width of the excavation is adjusted by varying the length of the moldboard 68 through elimination of one or both of the portions 72 and 74. In all cases, portion 70 of the moldboard 68 is used. The removable braces 94, 98, 100 and 102 are all equally spaced along the moldboard 68, thus lending easy access to and facilitating the removal of portions of the moldboard 68.

It is to be understood that it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment described, but rather only as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An excavating device adapted to remove a strip of material from association with the lateral edge of an existing slab of pavement comprising, in combination, an alignment member adapted to be horizontally disposed and coupled to a driving means, a plurality of spaced rollers disposed on the alignment member adapted to be held in rolling contact with the upper surface of the slab, a support plate permanently secured to the hori-' zontal alignment member and normal to the plane'of said member, a cutting element having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said cutting element being provided with a plurality of slots therein normal to the plane of the alignment member and disposed adjacent to the support plate, pin shaped releasable fastening members, one of said pin members extending through each of said slots into said support plate, said last named members securing the cutting element to the vertical support plate, a roller secured to the cutting element near its trailing edge, said roller extending through an aperture in the support plate and being adapted to contact the lateral edge of the slab, and a moldboard angularly secured to the cutting element, the vertical and lateral disposition of said moldboard being thus determined by the upper surface and lateral edge of the slab.

2. An excavating device comprising the'elements of claim 1 in combination with a wear plate secured to the leading edge of the cutting element, said wear plate being disposed in a recess in the support plate and being adapted to contact the lateral edge of the existing slab of pavement and provide with theroller only two regions of contact with the lateral edge of the existing pavement.

3. An excavating device adapted to remove a strip of material from association with the lateral edge of an existing slab of pavement comprising, in combination, an alignment member adapted to be held in movable contact with the upper surface of the slab, a support plate permanently secured to the alignment member and normal to the plane of said member, a cutting element having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said cutting element being provided with a plurality of slots therein normal to the plane of the alignment member and disposed adjacent to the support plate, a pin shaped releasable fastening member extending through each of the slots into said support plate, said members securing the cutting element to the support plate, a roller secured to the cutting element near its trailing edge, said roller extending through an aperture in the support plate and being adapted to contact the lateral edge of the slab, a moldboard angular ly disposed to the cutting element having a plurality of adjacent portions, the first of said portions being permanently secured to the cutting element adjacent to its leading edge, and the final portion of said moldboard having a shaper plate extending from its lower edge mounted parallel to the cutting element and a recess along its lower edge extending from the end of the moldboard to the shaper plate, and a plurality of braces disposed between the cutting element and the portions of the moldboard between the first and final portions, said braces being removably secured to the moldboard at equal intervals permitting portions of the moldboard of different lengths to be used in conjunction with the first portion.

4.'An excavating device adapted to remove a strip of material from association with the lateral edge of an existing slab of pavement comprising the elements of claim 3 in combinationwith a pair of adjustment screws disposed normal to the plane of the hoirzontal alignment member, one of said screws being threaded into the cutting element adjacent to its leading edge, and the other being threaded into the cutting element adjacent to its trailing edge, and a plate disposed about each of the screws, and abutting the upper surface of the vertical support member, said plates being adjustably attached to the cutting element by the screws.

References lited in the-file of this patent UNITED 'STATES PATENTS" 1,818,434 Schetfold Aug. 11, 1931 1,907,944.. A Forbes et a1 May 9, 1933 2,281,492 Haist et al Apr. 28, 1942 2,510,523 Schiavi June ,6, 1950 2,616,193 Toepfer et al Nov. 4, 1952' 2,660,815 Lippis Dec. 1,1953 

